Banded Hip Thrust Correct Form And 5 Best Variations

If your legs are the pillars of your body, your glutes are the beams that keep everything stacked, stable, and powerful. Your balance, sprint speed, hip stability, and even the way you walk up stairs all rely on strong glutes. If you want to move like an athlete (and not like someone who just discovered chairs), you cannot skip glute training.

Squats and lunges are awesome for glute growth because they load the glutes hard in a stretched position (great eccentric tension). But when it comes to peak contraction, hip thrusts are in a league of their own. That’s why they are often considered the best glute exercise for “squeeze at the top” strength and development. And while the barbell hip thrust is the most loadable option, you can get a surprisingly nasty stimulus using nothing but a resistance band.

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What Is a Hip Thrust?

A hip thrust (sometimes called a hip thruster) is a lower-body exercise built around hip extension. In plain English, you drive your hips forward against resistance, using your glutes as the main engine. It’s a classic hip-dominant movement, powered primarily by your glutes and hamstrings.

The standard setup is shoulders on a bench, feet flat, knees around 90 degrees. You lower your hips, then drive up until your thighs and torso form a straight line. A glute bridge is the floor version (same idea, shorter range of motion). Both work great, especially with bands.

Hip thrusts are underused, especially by men. And yes, they can be loaded heavy with a barbell, but they also shine with bands because bands keep tension high where you want it most: near lockout. Research has shown hip thrusts can produce greater glute activation than back squats in certain contexts. This study reported substantially higher upper glute activation with hip thrusts compared to back squats.

Can You Do Hip Thrusts With Resistance Bands?

Yes. It’s simple: loop each end of a 41-inch resistance band under your feet, then rest the band across the crease of your hips. From there, you thrust exactly like you would with bodyweight or a barbell.

If you have never done hip thrusts before, start with bodyweight for a session or two to lock in the movement. Once you can hit 10 to 12 clean reps with a pause at the top, add the band.

Safety note: Make sure the band is in good condition (no tears), your feet are planted firmly on a non-slip surface, and the band is anchored evenly under both feet so it does not shift mid-rep.

How To Do Hip Thrusts With Resistance Bands

You can do banded hip thrusts on a bench or on the floor. The bench gives you a longer range of motion, but the floor version absolutely works and is easier to set up. Start without a band first so you understand what it should feel like, then add bands for progressive overload.

1. Start on the floor (or with your shoulders on a bench), feet flat. Shins should be close to vertical at the top position, knees pointed up.
2. Wrap the band across the front of your hips (hip crease) and loop each end securely under your feet. The farther the band stretches at the bottom, the more resistance you will feel.
3. Brace your core, keep ribs down, and drive through your heels. Raise your hips until you reach full hip extension (torso and thighs form a straight line).
4. Pause 1 to 2 seconds at the top and squeeze your glutes hard.
5. Lower slowly and under control to the starting position. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

We’ll show you multiple banded hip thrust variations below so you can progress without needing a barbell.

COMMON FORM MISTAKES:

Hip thrusts are easy to do and easy to do wrong. The fix is simple: slow down, stay tight, and earn every rep.

1. Reps Too Fast: Speed turns this into a hip bounce. You want strong reps, not 100 sloppy ones. Control the lowering and own the pause.
2. Not Pausing and Squeezing at the Top: The peak contraction is the whole point. Hold and squeeze hard for 1 to 2 seconds.
3. Not Using Full Range of Motion: Go all the way down, then reach full hip extension at the top. Half reps mean half the stimulus.
4. Overextending Your Hips: Full extension is not a lower-back lean. Stop when your torso and thighs make a straight line. Overextending can shift stress to your lumbar spine.
5. Creating an Anterior Pelvic Tilt (bench thrusts): Keep your core tight and move as one unit. Avoid dumping your pelvis forward on the way down. If this is an issue for you, check out our guide on anterior pelvic tilt.

Focus on clean reps, full hip extension, and a strong squeeze. If you do that, banded hip thrusts will do their job.

4 More Banded Hip Thrust Variations

These may not all look like a classic bench hip thrust, but the biomechanics are the same: hip extension plus max glute contraction. Rotate variations to keep progress moving and hit the glutes from slightly different angles.

1. Single-Leg Lying Hip Thrust
2. Kneeling Hip Thruster
3. Standing Hip Thruster
4. Single-Leg Standing Hip Thruster

1. Lying Single-Leg Banded Hip Thrust

Same movement, one leg. This ramps up the demand on your glutes, core, and hip stabilizers. It’s a perfect progression if you only have one band and want more challenge without changing equipment.

Instructions:

1. Set up like a normal banded hip thrust, but shift most of your load onto one leg.
2. Angle the non-working foot out slightly and use it lightly for balance if needed.
3. Loop the band ends under the working foot and keep the band centered in your hip crease.
4. Drive up, pause and squeeze, then lower slowly.
5. Repeat for reps, then switch sides.

2. Kneeling Banded Hip Thruster

This looks different, but it hits the same goal: powerful hip extension. The kneeling version typically involves less quad contribution and can feel even more glute-focused. You may also be able to use a thicker band because you have better leverage in this position.

Instructions:

1. Anchor the band to a stable point behind you. Loop the other end around your hips.
2. Kneel far enough away that the band is already under tension.
3. Start with hips back (sitting toward heels) and a slight forward lean.
4. Brace core and drive hips forward until you are tall and upright.
5. Pause and squeeze, then return slowly.

3. Standing Banded Hip Thruster

Think of this as a short-range hip hinge where the band pulls you backward. The resistance direction makes it feel different than a squat or RDL because tension stays higher as you drive into extension, which is exactly what you want for glute contraction work.

Instructions:

1. Anchor the band behind you at a sturdy point. Loop it around your hips.
2. Step forward until the band is taut in your standing position.
3. Hinge slightly by pushing hips back (do not drop into a full squat).
4. Drive hips forward, squeeze glutes hard at the top, then return under control.

4. Single-Leg Standing Hip Thrust

This is a great challenge option. You get more demand per side and a big stability component for the hips and core. It pairs nicely with bilateral work because it exposes (and fixes) side-to-side weaknesses.

Instructions:

1. Anchor the band behind you and loop it around your hips.
2. Use a staggered stance and keep most of your weight on the front leg.
3. Push hips back slightly, then drive hips forward to stand tall.
4. Squeeze at the top, control the return, repeat for reps, then switch legs.

If you do not have access to a barbell, or you want variety and extra glute volume without beating up your spine, banded hip thrusts are a legit option for all fitness levels.

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What Kind of Band for Hip Thrusts?

For hip thrusts, the best option is a 41-inch loop resistance band. Mini loop bands (the small fabric ones) can be useful for glute activation drills, but they do not work well for loading hip thrusts.

Here is what a 41-inch loop band looks like:

Using the right band matters. A quality loop band sits securely across your hips, stretches smoothly, and holds up to repeated tension without fraying. These 41-inch loop bands are ideal for hip thrust variations because they can create tension in supine (lying), kneeling, and standing positions.

SET FOR SET's resistance bands are built thick, meant to last, and versatile enough for a ton of exercises beyond hip thrusts.

Resistance ranges (bands get harder the more they stretch):

• Yellow (0.5" width): 10 to 35 lb
• Black (0.85" width): 30 to 60 lb
• Blue (1.25" width): 40 to 80 lb
• Green (1.75" width): 50 to 125 lb
• Gray (2.5" width): 65 to 170 lb

BEST SIZE RESISTANCE BAND FOR HIP THRUSTS:

If you are new to banded hip thrusts, start with the 0.5-inch (yellow) band. Nail your form, hit clean reps with a pause, and then move up in resistance as needed. You can also increase difficulty by starting farther from your feet so the band is more taut from the bottom.

Note: The gray band is very hard to stretch for most people, so it is rarely used for hip thrusts. The other sizes are generally suitable depending on strength and setup.

Prioritize form over difficulty. Clean reps with strong contraction beat ugly reps with more tension every time.

Banded Hip Thrust Muscles Worked

The banded hip thrust primarily targets your glutes, specifically the gluteus maximus, plus the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus for hip stability.

Other muscles involved: core, hamstrings, quads, and hip adductors. Variations shift emphasis slightly (kneeling uses less quad, single-leg versions demand more core and hip stability), but your glutes stay the star of the show.

BENEFITS OF HIP THRUSTS:

• Maximum glute contraction at full hip extension
• Glute-focused movement that is easy to learn and scale
• Can be done anywhere with minimal equipment
• Works great with bands, light weights, or bodyweight
• Builds core control (glutes and abs working together)

Overall, hip thrusts are the ultimate horizontal hip-dominant glute exercise (deadlifts are the ultimate vertical hip-dominant exercise). Combining both styles is a smart way to cover both stretch tension and contraction tension.

BANDED HIP THRUST ALTERNATIVES:

Banded hip thrusts aren't the only great exercise for the glutes. Here are other exercises to target your glutes using resistance bands.

It's always good to have exercise variety to hit the glutes from different angles and with different variables. This will provide you with the best possible development of your gluteal muscles. 

• Banded Deadlifts
• Banded Squats
• Banded Lateral Walks
• Banded Lunges
• Banded Glute Kickbacks
• Banded Donkey Kicks
• Banded Hip Abduction